The first discussion we have in the English 12 Poetry Unit is about truth. Too many people consider poetry to be something that exists on a continuum between fluff and falsehood. This drives us Humanities types batty. Many hold to the mistaken idea that a thing is true if it is factual. Poetry isn’t usually [...]
Most people think Twitter began in 2006, but a form of it actually existed in my grade 7 classroom long before that. I didn’t call it Twitter, I called it “Notion Notes.” When I first came to Abbotsford, I taught grade 7. Besides having fun learning all that science and English, we also did fun things for their own [...]
What do you think about adding column on a report card assessing what students do during recess?Luigi Giussani, Italian priest, educator and intellectual, once told a group of parents that young people are not judged by how seriously, tenaciously and loyally they take to their school work, but by how they use their free time.They [...]
Back in 1996, I had an idea. I think this idea was somehow inspired by my high school friend, Robin and by the latest advance in communication—email. The idea: SPAM® haiku.At the time, I had 34, what we now call, contacts. They included Robin, of course, several university friends, and my colleagues at Abbotsford Christian School. [...]
On a coffee break from marking provincial exams, I was talking to some fellow English teachers about the use and abuse of technology in the lives of students. One of these fellows recounted a conversation he had with a younger colleague who said that there is nothing wrong with texting while doing homework in that [...]
I couldn’t believe he belched in my class—and it was on purpose. This was my first year as a teacher, teaching grade 7. This guy was full of energy, and a bit of a stinker too, so I had my hands full. Being so new to the profession, I hadn't developed the instincts for dealing [...]
I never learned as much as when I became a pigeon farmer. I remember walking to the barns on the day of possession, wondering what I had gotten myself into. I was overwhelmed with the responsibility, and with my ignorance as to how to produce the young pigeons (squab) that were so coveted by the [...]
I never got to light an Advent candle when I was a child. The idea terrified me. I imagined myself in front of all those solemn people who were expectant, not only for the coming of our Lord, but for the timely lighting of the candles. I saw myself desperately trying to get the lighter [...]
When one of my kids came home on a Friday and declared, "I have to finish my project," I was filled with dread. Weekend plans were abandoned so I could try to achieve the impossible: learning the material the project was supposed to demonstrate, balancing my child's expectations with reality, understanding the standards against which the project would be [...]
I don't listen to music very much. When I am driving, I prefer podcasts and talk radio because I like to engage ideas and argue—yes, I argue with the car radio. I certainly don't make a habit of going to concerts, but I was very excited about a concert last September at St. Andrews in [...]
